15 Lombard St.
Janice Kerbel (2000)
15 Lombard St. is a rigorously researched masterplan of how to rob a particular bank in the City of London. By observing the daily routine in and around the bank, Kerbel reveals the most detailed security measures such as: the exact route and time of money transportation; the location of CCTV cameras in and around the bank along with precise floor plans that mark the building’s blind spots.
Kerbel’s meticulous plans include every possible detail required to commit the perfect crime. The ubiquitous fantasy of a bank robbery functions as a backdrop for Kerbel’s ‘play of subversion’. By surveying surveillance Kerbel shows how different systems are interrelated, forming a web of control. Kerbel’s aim is not simply to subvert but to emphasise the fact that the idea of absolute control and the fantasy of robbing a bank are interconnected and mutually sustaining.
Out of print.
